Well, I am back at work today. I don't think my cold is much better yet, but at least I am better-rested and better-medicated. Yay, ya gotta start somewhere! I am still feeling somewhat icky, but I'm much more functional.

Sunday night I found that I didn't have much in the way of cold medicine in my house. I tried a variety of pain-killers and allergy pills, none of which did much for me. It wasn't until monday afternoon, a little while after my conference call, that I found enough energy to shower and go shopping.

I went to the drugstore and picked out a variety of remedies. I was wearing plaid flannel pants, a t-shirt without a bra, flip-flops, and sunglasses. I wandered through the store in a fog, then brought my selections the the counter.

I handed the saleslady my items wordlessly, without enough energy smile or say anything. Then I just waited limply while she rang them up. She picked up a container of orange juice and said, "Oh no, the barcode is torn off of this one."

She glanced briefly at me; I didn't respond at all, just continued watching her. I knew it was on sale for $0.99, but I didn't say so. The OJ display was on the opposite side of the store, and I would have preferred to not buy it at all than walk there and back again. Her eyes flickered to my purchases. Nyquil, dayquil, orange juice, and bottled water. "I'll go get a good one," she said.

She started to walk back there, then she decided to just ring up $0.99 without scanning anything. I was pleased that she'd taken the quicker resolution, and I thanked her as I gathered up my bag and left the store.

Last night I took some nyquil and I slept very restlessly, but I slept nonetheless. I went to bed before midnight, but around 3am I found my bed no longer comfortable. So I took my pillow downstairs and slept on my couch for a bit. Around 5 or 6am I woke up, sweaty and confused, and looked around. "Oh how about that, I'm on the couch," I said to myself. I decided to try the bed again, and successfully slept there until about 8.

I took some dayquil this morning, and I had some of my hard-won OJ, and a poptart for breakfast. Now I'm here at my desk, attempting to get stuff done! (Well, okay, updating my journal. But also getting some stuff done, at the same time....)

Isn't it weird how the couch is more comfortable than bed when you're sick?

I think for me it traces back to when I was really little ... when I got sick and stayed home from school, Mom would let me lay on the couch and I'd watch Pinwheel on Nickelodeon, or gameshows. And I'd eat buttered crackers and drink 7-up through a bendy-straw. Now the couch is the comfort place for being sick.

Oh aren't colds just sooooo much fun? I've tried lots of different cold preparations and found Nyquil/Dayquil to be the best, although it gives me some pretty funky dreams sometimes. In reality, most of the cold preparations out there are composed of the same three or four ingredients, just different names. Good luck, and I sure hope you start feeling better soon!

Thanks! I finally got a decent night's sleep last night, which helped quite a bit. I like the ny/dayquil stuff, but it does make me feel weird too. I'm trying today with just advil, although I've got some dayquil in my pocket in case I need it.